


Summer Nights

by NMartin



Series: Swan Queen [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Beach Holidays, F/F, Family Fluff, First Dates, Fluff, Hawaii, Humor, Summer Vacation, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swan-Mills Family, The Charming Family, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-03-23 14:37:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 20,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3771967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NMartin/pseuds/NMartin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Swan-Mills family goes on vacation with the Charmings, where Emma and Regina start having feelings for each other. Multi-chapter fic!<br/>[ Explicit because of chapter 12 // Complete // Being under editing to fix mistakes (Chapter 2 as of 11/11/2015) ]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language, so excuse the writing mistakes in this story! I am currently in the process of updating it and correcting the fic, but it will take a bit because of real life issues. Thanks for reading, and remember to leave your comments!

"I can’t believe that Henry has convinced me to come with you." the woman muttered, sitting on the back of the large car they had rented, next to the blonde woman. Looking through the window of the car, Regina could already see the white sand beach and the bright blue sea. She had missed travelling, even if it wasn’t in this world. Because truth was, she had never been outside Storybrooke. And the fact that they had decided to go to the coast made her feel butterflies on her stomach. Because this beachis beach wasn’t like the one in Storybrooke.

The town's beach was crammed with ships and waste from the industries. The sea had a strange shade of green, there was almost no space to swim. There was no privacy, you could see people walk down the pier, and they could see you. When Regina went for a swim, the onlookers made her feel a strange sense of embarrassment. Not that she was ashamed of her body, not at all. But she never dared to dive into the water to forget they were there, that she was not alone. And so, she kept feeling like she was being watched.

But this, this was completely different. So pure, so far from civilisation despite being next to the hotels and resorts placed there. It was as if it was another world, one further than Neverland or the Land Without Color. Seagulls cruised through the blue sky, crossing the fading white clouds in the horizon. She could see families everywhere, playing with inflatable boats, fishing or walking around. Old and young couples enjoying their love in the paradise that surrounded them. No one seemed to be disappointed to be there.

The Charmings had been the ones to choose the way of travelling once they landed in the exotic country. Arguing that road trips were amusing, the Charmings had convinced Regina rent a car. A large family car, to be exact. Snow had argued that a large family car would be better than two smaller ones. But the mayor did not mind, she was too focused on the views of the beach. And of the luxury resort she had booked two bungalows in, of course.

The reason for which she hadn't chosen suites was not obvious at first for the others. But as they approached the resort, the cabins emerged from between the jungle and palm trees. They all could see the swimming pools, the beach, the paths and the entrance to what was paradise for them. There was a large hotel in the middle of the resort, with white walls and blue decorations. It seemed to be the most exquisite place in the area. It was an amazing sight, and the reactions of the other occupants of the car seconded her thoughts.

"Woah, mom, this is enormous!"

"Yeah, how did you even pay this, Regina?"

"I am not stupid enough to put a curse on the Enchanted Forest and not to grant myself a wealthy life after it."

* * *

"I could get used to this." the blonde laughed, sitting in the outdoor  chaise lounge chair and stretching. Her arms moved behind her head as she let out a sigh. She liked the idea of the whole family going on vacation together. And that came from her, a person who knew her parents were not the best company she could have had.

_At least Hook is not here_ , the blonde thought, not wanting her now ex boyfriend to be around her for a while. Their last fight had been too much, he had said things she did not like. Things that hurt, and still stung. But at least now she could get over him, and in one of the most beautiful places she had ever been to. Not that she had ever been able to travel for pleasure anyway. "Can we stay here forever?"

"I’m not that wealthy, Miss Swan." Regina laughed, taking the suitcases she had brought from the trunk of the car. She walked towards the bungalow’s door, opening it with the key that had been given to her.  Snow, David and Neal drove away to the next bungalow, hidden at a certain distance from theirs. Both women entered the house with a smile, a nice living room with an open kitchen welcoming them. One of the doors, narrower than the others, seemed to be the bathroom. Which made the other two be the bedrooms.

Regina did not love the idea of sharing a room with Emma at first. But it would be more bearable than sharing it with any of the two idiots. And Henry was old enough to not to be sharing a room with any of his mothers, so Emma was the only option. While Henry walked through the right door, they entered the larger bedroom.

"Regina, what's wrong?" the saviour asked when the other let out a gasp and dropped the suitcases. The loud thud of the luggage against the floor had alerted the blonde, who now stood behind her with wide eyes. She gave one step forward, then another, until she saw what had surprised the brunette. "Oh, crap." she muttered, staring at the king-sized bed that was in the middle of the room. There was just one double bed, where there should be two single ones. Now she understood why Regina was mad, even if she herself wasn't. “At least it’s big…”

“Size does not matter to me, Miss Swan. I am not sleeping with you.” the other snapped, annoyed at the situation. Taking the suitcases from the floor and walking towards the bed, she threw them on it. She then turned around, looking infuriated to towards the blonde. Her rage grew when she noticed Emma's smirk, that soon turned into laughter. "You're a child." the woman said as she rolled her eyes and walked away towards the exit. 

"Hey, Regina, come on!" the savior shouted, following the former queen outside. The woman only seemed to get more infuriated, her uptight manners becoming quite obvious. But as the queen she had been in the past, she understood the woman liked things to be done right. "Regina, where are you going? You're not going to complain, right?" she babbled, following the other like a lost puppy. "There is no need to complain, you know?"

"Yes there is, Miss Swan. I asked expressively for a room with two beds, since you insisted it was useless to get a bungalow for myself. And now this. So yes, I am complaining, and they will change that bed for two single ones." Regina hissed. She was almost running, and soon they were to the hall of the hotel. "Good morning. I'm Regina Mills from the bungalow 4B. We asked for a bungalow with two bedrooms. They were supposed to both have separate beds, but guess what... We've just found out we have a king-sized one instead."

"I'm sorry, ma'am." the young man sitting behind the desk apologized, turning to check the reservations. "We've had a group of college students who did not want to share a bed.. and since you and, uh, Miss Swan are listed as tutors of your son we assumed that..."

"Oh my god." Regina rolled her eyes and sighed, counting to ten in a whisper before slamming her hand on the wooden table. "Unless you find us a better bungalow with three beds, you better bring two beds to put in the bedroom of the one we are in. If you don't do that right now I will speak to your manager and make sure you get fired before you can even blink."

"Well there is a smaller bungalow in the other side of the resort, but it only has one bedroom, ma'am." the receptionist muttered immediately, fear in his eyes as he kept checking the page. Emma understood him, she still was afraid of the woman sometimes. Other times she was aroused, even if it was just a little. She didn't know why, but she didn't give it much thought.

"Okay, I'll take it. Emma can stay in the one we already have with Henry if she wants. Oh, and you better not charge me anything for this mistake."

"Regina, stop. Stop!" the blonde stopped her, taking the woman's forearm. She knew that if she let the woman keep talking, she would end up throwing a fireball to the poor guy. Regina turned around, looking at Emma with the same piercing look she had directed at him. But, facing the brunette and shaking her head. "Listen, Henry wants to spend these vacations together as a family. And if that includes us having to sleep in the same bed, we will. I know you're not enthused by the idea, but we'll have to do it for Henry. We'll put a pillow barrier in the bed so you don't end up asking me to spoon you in the middle of the night if you want." she spoke with a smirk, letting herself joke before going back to being serious. "Please, for Henry. We are in fucking paradise Regina. Let's enjoy that."

They stared at each other for many seconds, forgetting about the man behind the desk. The older woman pursed her lips and sighed, the now loose grip of Emma's hand letting her move her arm back. She crossed her arms, looking away, avoiding the blonde's green eyes. In the end, she decided to give up. "Okay. But don't you dare to spoon me."

* * *

Back in the bungalow, the two women unpacked their suitcases in complete silence. “I’ll go check on Henry.” the blonde sighed in hopes to escape the awkwardness of the situation. Regina nodded with a smile, trying to stay as positive as she could. She left a towel and a swimsuit on a chair, then closed her suitcase and looked through the window. She could see the palm trees right behind the trees next to the bungalow, and if she focused a bit she could hear the sea. It was so close, and she was desperate to go for a swim. Near the shore, though. Even if she didn't dare to go deep into the water, she smirked at the thought of drinking a mojito in the beach. She then started undressing and took the swimsuit in her hands, facing the mirror on the wall. "Regina, Henry says that he wants to go for a swim..."

The woman's words were interrupted when she saw the woman's bare back. Her body was perfectly toned, her olive skin completely exposed. She gasped and turned around, waiting for the woman to start yelling at her as she closed her eyes. She hadn't meant to, but she had taken a peak of the woman's front. And the image seemed to not to leave her mind as seconds passed.

"Next time knock, Emma. I'm almost done." Regina spoke with calm, sighing once more and putting on the swimsuit. "You can turn now." she added, and Emma finally opened her eyes and faced the woman. She had not expected what she saw, though. The brunette wore a black piece of clothing, with a halter neck and a keyhole front detail. She was stunning, and it left the savior speechless. "Is there a problem?" she asked. "You seem feverish, do you want me to turn on the air conditioner?"

"No, don't worry." Emma shook her head and started walking towards the bed, taking her travel bag and opening it. Taking a sports bikini from it, she shrugged and took a towel. "It's kinda hot in here, but it's bearable. Are you coming to the beach with us?"

"Yes. Henry did want to go swimming, didn't he?"

"Yeah." Emma took off her clothes and quickly changed into the bikini. Sitting down, Regina glanced at her for a second, admiring the woman's flat stomach. She shook her head and kept changing her shoes, her stare being unnoticed by the blonde. As the savior put her sunglasses on her head, Regina put on her wedge sandals and tied up a pareo around her hips. "We could go to the beach now, in the pamphlet of the resort it says that the swimming pool is better at night. Less kids."

"That sounds good to me. Are you ready?"

At the question Emma stood up and turned, smiling at the other as she took a tank top and shorts. "Yeah." she muttered.  _No wonder why people they think we’re together. We look like a lesbian stereotypical couple from TV shows._  But she knew that no matter what other people thought Regina just saw her as a friend. "Let's go." she spoke, walking out to the living room and smiling at Henry, already dressed in his beach clothes. "I'll go tell David and Mary Margaret, maybe they want to take Neal for his first swim at the beach." she added before walking out of the bungalow. Henry followed her, and Regina smiled.  _This is what a family feels like._


	2. Chapter 2

Sitting on towels on the sand, Regina and Mary Margaret watched David and Emma in silence. They were playing with the baby, laughing whenever he stared with wide eyes at the fish toys they gave him. Meanwhile, Henry seemed to have made friends with a group of boys and girls his age. "He looks like he is having fun, doesn't he?" Mary Margaret told, glancing at them play with an inflatable ball. Regina gave her a nod, glad her son was not feeling lonely.

"Yes. It's good he is making friends, he's not really popular in Storybrooke."

"Being the son of the Evil... the mayor, was not something that helped."

"Or maybe it was the fact that with ten years old he still believed in fairy tales. I guess we'll never know." the older woman sassed, rolling her eyes and sighing before reaching for her Mai Tai. Licking her lips and taking a sip, her eyes moved back to the savior. She smiled, remembering when Henry was just a baby. It was sad that Emma hadn't been able to enjoy that. "I think I'm going to lie down and get a nice tan." she muttered to herself. Opening her purse and taking her iPod, she turned it on and lay down. She selected  _What's up_ by Four Non Blondes and closed her eyes.  _Nothing better to relax than lying on the beach with good music and a cocktail..._

Soon she was completely relaxed. The songs played in her ear and she almost fell asleep, but a slight pain on her chest started to bother her. She shifted her weight, let out a sigh. She changed the position of her arms again, letting out a groan. "What's wrong?" she heard Mary Margaret ask, and she took off her earphones. Turning around she went to stare at the woman, but instead found Emma looking at her. She had not noticed Emma getting out of the water and being replaced by her mother in the water. A waiter walked towards them, bringing her a bottle of beer that he left next to Regina's cocktail.

"My chest. I'm uncomfortable." the brunette muttered once the man had walked away.

"Oh." the blonde's eyes widened and she licked her lips, eyes falling to the other's cleavage. Truth was, Regina was better endowed than her, making Emma slightly jealous of her body. But at the same time, she was happy with her own, being more athletic and stronger than Regina. She had heard so many stories about the former queen's outfits though... Regina's cleavage was quite a legend now. Her gaze raised and met the brunette's, then she smiled. "I can fix that." she said, moving to kneel nex to the woman. After putting the inflatable pillow away and folding the top of the towel, Emma dug two holes in the sand. "Done." she grinned and faced Regina, who rolled her eyes. "What do you think? Smart, huh?"

"My boobs aren't that big, Miss Swan."

"Let me check?" Emma joked, moving her hands as if to grab the other's breasts. The older woman leant backwards, not letting her and rolling her eyes once more. She was laughing though.  _Is she tipsy?_ Emma thought.

After giving the woman's shoulder a soft push, the brunette turned and stared at her towel. Placing it properly on the sand again, she said, "You are so not getting anywhere near my boobs, Miss Swan."

"Damnit."

* * *

 

The day passed without rush, all them enjoying the buffet of exotic meals the hotel offered for lunch. Henry was amazed at the sweet taste of the fruits, while his mother pondered how many fruits she could fit in her bag. "Old habits." she had argued when Regina had looked at her with a reproving look.

An hour later they got to the pool, where now Emma and Henry played volleyball against the Charmings. Mary Margaret hadn't been enthused by the idea of leaving her son with Regina, even if she was just a few feet away. But David and Emma had managed to convince her that the woman would not turn him into a fireball.

"Snow, she raised Henry. Nothing bad is gonna happen."

"I know, but..."

"You said you always saw her like a mother figure in some way, didn't you?

"But that was years ago, Emma..."

"She raised Henry. And we'll just be right there. You need some space from him, Snow."

"Alright, alright."

And so the woman had given her the infant, making Regina smile when he did not start crying.  _He kinda looks like Henry when he was just a baby,_ she thought. As the others laughed and splashed in the water, Regina took care of the sleepy baby on her lap, singing softly.

 _Lullay lullow, lullay lully,_  
_Beway bewy, lullay lullow,_  
_Lullay  lully,_  
_Baw me bairne, sleep softly now._

"Come on, Regina, join us!" the savior shouted between laughs, waking up Neal. Regina sighed and took the baby in her arms, calming him and glaring at Emma.

"Shh, it's okay." she whispered as Mary Margaret struggled in the water to get outside. "It's just your big sister being a dick, as usual."

"Regina, language."

"Oh come on." Regina smirked when the former princess walked out of the water. Giving her the baby, she sighed."I can't be worse as a babysitter than you as a player."

"Well, I know you’ll play better than grandma, mom."

"Everyone would play better than your grandmother, Henry." the mayor laughed, receiving a resentful glare from the woman in question. Standing up, she untied the piece of fabric around her hips and took off the hat and sunglasses. Putting her hair up with a claw clip, she smiled and started walking towards the water. “In what team would I be in?”

"You wanna go with Henry? Make this a Mills versus Charming game?" Emma smirked, swimming to the other side of the net and occupying the spot Mary Margaret had just left free. The savior's mother already had dried herself and sung softly to Neal. Regina shrugged and sat on the edge of the pool, then got in and walked towards her son. "I’ll take that as a yes. Get ready to feel my anger, Mayor Mills."

"You wish, Savior."

* * *

"Hey mom... so... uh… Kalia... And well, the others too, of course. They all want to go to the fair near the beach…" Henry started, making both women look at each other and smirk. It was quite obvious how the boy seemed to like the girl he had met that same morning _. A teenage crush does not do any harm. Poor kiddo, if he only knew what girls are like at that age…_  "And maybe you could drive us there? Kalia and I, the others will be there already…"

Emma smiled, going to say yes but being stopped by her mother. "We’ll take you," the woman offered as she made sure Neal was dry after having been playing in the pool. "David and I wanted to go there this evening with Neal, we’ll drive you there."

"I’m not, thank you." Regina told with a nonchalant tone. She had booked a massage in the spa that night, and was honestly not in the mood to go to a fair. It seemed selfish, she knew. But she also knew that if she did go with them she would be too worried about Henry to actually let him enjoy his date. "If Kalia comes with you in the car we wouldn’t all fit, so I’ll stay here and relax for tonight. We’ll go another day."

"Okay mom." Henry shrugged, nodded and turned to his other mother. "Mom, are you coming?"

"Of course, kiddo."

* * *

Letting out a sigh, Regina walked out of the spa and made her way to the bungalow. She hadn’t walked past the pool when she saw a big, colorful sign that got her attention. Hanging from one of the streetlights that enlightened the path, the image of a couple dancing. "Hawaiian party. Tonight at nine in the resort’s bigger pool." she read out loud, raising a brow and pondering the possibility.  _A mojito wouldn’t be a bad idea…_  she thought, smirking at the thought and keeping on walking.

The sun was about to set, and by this time everyone would be having fun on the fair. She sighed, thinking of her little boy going on a date. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, she knew him too well to not to notice. And he wasn’t that good of a liar after all, he had a crush. Taking out the key of the bungalow, she realized that the small house was already unlocked. "Hello?"

"Hey, Regina!" she spotted Emma in the kitchen of the bungalow. The blonde was making herself what seemed to be a grilled cheese sandwich, wearing a tank top and shorts. "Was the massage good?"

"Uh, yeah." the woman frowned, not knowing why the other would be there. "Weren’t you going to the fair with Henry and your parents?"

"Oh come on, Gina. Poor kid wants to have a date with a girl, no teenage boy wants his mother around there."

"And the two idiots won’t be controlling him all night? Ha."

"You get what I mean. My parents aren’t that bad."

"That’s because you’ve only met them for like two years."

"Anyway, are you going to the pool party?"

"The hawaiian one?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe. Why?"

"We could go together if you want."

Regina laughed and rolled her eyes, then stared at Emma. Her smirk faded as she realized, the blonde wasn't being sarcastic. She was not sassing her, she was not teasing. Emma was being serious. “Are you... Are you asking me out on a date, Miss Swan?”

“Yes.”


	3. Chapter 3

_“Are you asking me out on a date, Miss Swan?”_

Regina was just teasing when she asked, no real intention of getting the woman to actually ask her on a date. And now there she was, standing on the kitchen of a wooden house and staring at the blonde woman with wide eyes. At first Emma Swan had only been the biological mother of her son, who she hated as much as someone could. But then she had slowly become her best friend, being the only one who sided with or trust her. And now, she was asking her on a date. A date, with Emma Swan. She pondered the options she had, still staring at Emma with a lost gaze.

She could say no. She could roll her eyes and dismiss the proposal, simply walk to her room and change into her nightgown to get in bed. Put a pillow barrier between them and lie down, close her eyes and have a nice sleep. Maybe dream of Daniel, or Robin. Though she didn’t know if these would be good dreams or nightmares. She also could shake her head and tell Emma to not to joke, then put other clothes and go to the party. Leaving the savior behind in the bungalow, maybe  she would dance with some man that bought her a drink. Maybe she would sit down and sip a mojito, listen to the music before going back to the bungalow. But then, she'd have to face Emma again. No matter what she did, the improvements they had done in their relationship would be gone.

Or she could say yes. She could notice the sudden butterflies on her stomach, smile and nod. She could approach the savior and kiss her cheek. She could tell her to get changed and go together, have a drink and talk. They could dance, laugh, enjoy the night. The idea made Regina wonder if the discomfort she had once felt had turned into something more. Sure, Emma had become her best friend in the last two years, even if she wouldn’t admit it out loud. And sure, sometimes the brunette had found herself thinking of Emma as something more. She admired the woman's body, her personality, her smile. Oh, her smile. It had something that always charmed her. Thinking of it didn’t help make the butterflies on her stomach disappear. Her lips parted, ready to say her answer.  _No, Regina, wait. This is probably a small innocent prank Emma wants to play on you._

“You are so funny, Swan.” the woman rolled her eyes and walked out of the kitchen to their shared bedroom. Taking a bag from the bed, she opened it and retrieved a [lime green sarong](http://www.1worldsarongs.com/sarong-kd-tdye-68.html) she had bought right before lunch. The beachline was full of shacks with souvenirs for the tourists, dozens of them. But Regina was smart and had driven with one of the cars to the nearest town. Full of shops and with almost no tourists in the streets, it was more like a village. She was not a dumb white woman who bought a sarong and a lei and thought she was actually from the island. And so she had spent one hour talking to the owner of the shop, learning how to put the piece of clothing on. Unfolding it, she left it on the bed again, turning to the door— and finding Emma standing there.

“I was not joking, Regina.” the woman spoke firmly, a frown on her face and pursed lips. The brunette stopped dead, staring at the other’s green eyes. Emma sighed, realizing how tense she was and looking down, trying to calm down. “Okay, not gonna lie.” she started, licking her lips and thinking her words with care. She did not want to blow this up. “Things with Hook haven’t been okay for a while, and we’ve broken up. Well, he broke up with me. And he did not break up because he didn’t love me, but because he thought I loved someone else. The thing is, at first I did not know what he meant. But these past two weeks I’ve been thinking, and I’ve realized that I am somehow in love with someone else. I had always thought it was just friendship, but it would not be the first time I felt something like this for a woman. and well...”

In love. These words made Regina’s heart skip a beat, her legs suddenly feeling shaky. She did not hear the rest of Emma's words, unable to process them. Blinking a few times as the information sank in, the woman let out a soft breath and shook her head, eyes going wide. “Are you saying you’re in love with me, Emma?” she questioned in a soft whisper. Her mind went over the many moments they had shared in the past years. They had always shared some kind of connection, sometimes masked as rivalry. Emma was the bright side of the moon, the one loved by everyone in town. Meanwhile, Regina was the one left aside, the darkest side. But still, they had been through many situations, fighting curse after curse. Giving up their differences, they had become the mothers their son wanted and deserved.

“Kinda.” Emma spoke, lacking of self-assurance. Love was a powerful word, she had learned that over the past years. It was scary, but she knew that it was what she felt. It had just started, or maybe it just had come to surface  recently. "I think that we've been through a lot together, and it has brought us closer. I've been thinking about it quite a lot these days, and my feelings are only growing stronger. I don't want to make the same mistakes I've done before, so I'm not saying much. Like, I am not saying that I am head over heels for you, because I am not sure. I just know that I feel something towards you and I want to give it a try. I understand if you say no, or if you feel uncomfortable and want me to sleep on the couch or something. I just want to go on a date with you, see if we could work together as a couple."

Silence. Emma was waiting for a response, but Regina was completely speechless. This was not true love magic, or pixie dust. It was not based on faith, or destiny. It was not like the rest of her life had been based on. This was made from something completely different. The pixie dust was just dust now. Reality took over her life, and their feelings were real. They hadn't started feeling whatever they felt because of a charm or magic, it was just reality. And the woman's heart melted at the thought, despite she would never, ever accept it.

Turning around, Regina walked away from Emma and took another bag from her purse. “I went shopping while you and your parents were bathing, bought a few of these. They’re called sarongs.” she started, giving the bag to Emma, who looked way confused. Sighing, Regina rolled her eyes. “I bought this one for you.”

“And what do I have to do with this?”

“I am definitely not going to the party with you if you wear that ugly hawaiian shirt your mother has bought for you.” the woman teased with a smirk, making Emma let out a laugh and then sigh in relief. The blonde opened the bag and took a crimson fabric with many flowers dyed on it. They were of various shades of yellow and orange, and even if she had no idea about fashion, she admired the beauty of it.  _Sarong_ , she corrected herself mentally. The savior couldn’t help but smile.

“Okay then… My mother has horrible taste anyway.” she laughed, unfolding the sarong slowly and then looking at it as she kept it spread in front of her. “So, how do you put this on?”

“Well, you can either wear it as a dress or as a simple pareo, according to what the woman on the store said.” Regina spoke, taking the sarong from the woman’s hands and showing her how it would look. “If you wear it as a dress, so it covers your front, but leaves your back exposed— not your bottom, of course.” she spoke, wrapping the fabric around Emma without actually tying the fabric around the woman’s neck. “Or you can simply wrap it on your hips and wear it as a pareo, like I was planning to.”

“Oh, Regina, are you trying to get some tonight?” the blonde teased, watching Regina roll her eyes and smirk. “I’ll wear it as a dress, I don’t think a sports bikini is fancy enough for a party.” she commented before taking the fabric and starting to wrap it as Regina had done just a few moments before. “Okay, so this part goes like this, right? And then I put it around my ass…” she muttered as she was helped, laughs filling the room as they maneuvered to tie the sarong behind Emma’s neck. “Oh crap, this looks nicer than it seemed.”

“Are you doubting my fashion sense, Miss Swan?”

“Not at all, Mayor Mills.”

“Good.” Regina laughed, turning to take off her dress. Emma swallowed hard— Regina was once again wearing the black bikini she had worn that same morning. The savior didn’t know when she had started to feel attracted to the woman, but she was sure she had always felt some kind of electricity whenever they were together. Emma sighed and turned to look away, not wanting to blatantly stare at the woman. Instead, she walked to the living room and focused on finding a pen and writing down a note for Henry and her parents in case they were back before them. Behind her, Regina let her hair down and put a flower hair clip on it before wrapping the green sarong around her hips. Sitting on the bed, she took two sandals with heels and put them on. “I’m ready to go.”

Emma left the note on the coffee table and then walked back to the bedroom, a loud gasp escaping her lips at the sight.  _Damn._ She couldn’t help but check the woman out from head to toes, enjoying the way she looked. She suddenly didn’t want to go to the party, not wanting to share the beauty of the other woman with anyone. “S—Shall we go?”she asked, receiving a smirk from Regina.

“Definitely.”


	4. Chapter 4

The walk to the party was somehow awkward, none of them knowing what to say or do as they headed to the pool. It wasn’t that they were uncomfortable around each other, no. It was just that now, everything was different. They didn’t know how to do this, Regina having practically forgotten how to date someone— she had to admit it, she now was way more nervous than when she had dated Robin— and Emma realizing that she felt more attracted to Regina than to any man she had dated before. Not just her looks, which here stunning now that the sun was setting and the light was becoming dim, but also her personality. Regina was strong, but independent. At some point, Emma had realized that all her male boyfriends had always tried to protect her too much, to the point that she was tired of being thought as hopeless— and of having them around her trying to protect her from the forces of evil that kept attacking Storybrooke. _When will all that end…_ Then it hit her, it was the first time that she dated a woman. But not just that, she was finally dating someone who was both so different and similar to her, someone who clicked with her without any effort.

“Oh look, there’s the party.” the blonde woman spoke in a soft voice, turning to look at Regina and then offering her her hand. Regina rolled her eyes and let out a chuckle, taking it as they ascended the three steps. The caribbean music was loud, but not so loud that people would not be able to hear what the other person was saying. With leis made of fresh flowers, two of the local employees— a girl in her twenties and an older woman of small smile and bright blue eyes. If there was something that Regina loved about this resort, it was the fact that it combined traditional commercial purposes without it being disrespectful to the actual culture of the locals. In fact, it actually had gained popularity for being a place where to have fun and learn about the culture at the same time— that had made it for the brunette. "Thank you." Emma thanked the employee with a smile and put the lei on before turning to Regina. “A drink?”

“Yes.” the woman smiled and started to walk to the bar, watching the bartenders prepare cocktails of many different colors and serve them to the assistants to the party. There were people of all ages, most of them the usual kind of couple that celebrated their anniversary with a trip to an exotic country. People already danced in a dance floor near the pool, while others simply sat on the tables that occupied the space where a row of lounge chairs had been during the day. It looked fun, much to Emma’s surprise. They sat down on two stools, Regina crossing her legs and displaying a large expanse of skin from her knee to her thigh— what caused a man to turn around and check her out. Emma, too busy turning to the bartender and asking for a beer and a pineapple cocktail for the brunette, didn’t notice. Smiling, she turned to the brunette. “It’s good you came with us.” she started. “With the whole Hook situation, having to spend the holidays with my parents…”

“It would have been hell, I know.” Regina nodded and sighed. “I needed to get away from Storybrooke after what happened with Robin.” she shrugged, dismissing the trail of thoughts before reaching for the cocktail and taking a sip. “Oh, strong. Trying to get me drunk, Miss Swan?” she teased before giving another gulp. Emma chuckled and took a gulp of her beer before leaning closer to the brunette.

“Maybe. I’ll tell you after you’ve drank the third.” the woman laughed.

It was then when a man approached them from behind, wearing a hawaiian shirt and too much hair gel for any of the woman’s likings. He was a tall man, with dark skin and brown eyes. He held a beer in his hands. “Well hello, ladies.” he grinned, wrapping his arm around Regina’s shoulders. “Having fun tonight?”

“Until you came here, yes.” the older woman muttered, not being heard by the man. Rasing her voice, she turned to look at the man, trying to free herself from the man’s uncomfortable hug. “And you are?”

“I’m Haulani, the man who is gonna take one of you to the dancefloor and teach her to dance like only hawaiian people do. But you can call me Hau, baby.” he spoke. If he was really trying to flirt, he was not doing a good job— Regina was already feeling the need to vomit. He looked at both of them with a questioning look, maybe waiting for them to start fighting about who would dance with him. “So?” he started, his flashing smile slowly starting to disappear. Rolling her eyes, Regina stood up and finally freed herself, cocktail in her hand as she walked to Emma and turned her face to him.

“Sadly for you, nor me or my wife is interested in you or your dance lessons, Hau.” she spoke, taking Emma’s hand and tugging from it. The blonde raised a brow with amusement, the word _wife_ making her smirk. Standing up, she took her beer and nodded, wrapping her arm around the other’s hips and licking her lips. The shorter woman smiled and turned to look at her eyes, her brown eyes finding green confident eyes. “Let’s go, honey.” she husked, heading to the dance floor— leaving the man standing next to the counter with his mouth hanging open.

“Wife?” Emma chuckled, turning to face the woman and giving a last gulp to her beer before leaving it on an empty table behind them. Looking into Regina’s eyes again, she smirked. “And honey?” she added, watching the other take a last sip of the drink and do the same as hers before wrapping her arms around Emma’s neck and starting to move their hips together. The DJ, which none of them had realized was on a side of the pool until then, changed to slow music now, making them start swaying their hips slowly. “Not that I’m going to complain, but it’s our first date.”

“Sometimes you have to put a fake ring on your date before a hawaiian dance teacher steals her.”

* * *

They spent most of the night like that, getting drinks and dancing while talking about everything and nothing. Hook, Robin, Regina’s birthday, going to the beach with Henry the next day again. By the time the clock struck one in the morning, they had had a few drinks and planned at least five different escapades to the beach— just the two of them. Emma wasn’t sure if going skinny dipping had been a joke or not, but a part of her was thrilled. Minute after minute, the assistants to the party started to go to their rooms and bungalows, including the Hau and the few more men that had approached them. There had been a point where Emma had groaned a ‘fuck off’ to a blond man who had tried to interrupt them as they slowly ground their hips against the other's. Regina sighed against Emma’s shoulder. “We should go to the bungalow, Emma.” she whispered. “Henry and your parents must be already there.”

“Yeah.” the blonde agreed. A part of her did not want to leave, wanting to spend the whole night like this with Regina— having her arms around the woman felt way better than being hugged by Hook— but she also wanted to see what would happen once they crossed the door of their shared bedroom. She wondered if thinking they would have sex was going too fast, knowing that they both still needed their hearts to heal. Taking Regina’s hand, they made their way back to the wooden house in silence. It was so calm, Emma thought, noticing as she heard the sea in front of them and the crickets around the paths. By the time they reached the house, Regina was calmly caressing Emma’s knuckles with her thumb. “Well, here we are.”

“Yeah…” the other’s voice was low, almost a whisper, but full of lust. Where that had come from, Emma did not know— Regina was really good at hiding her feelings, it seemed. Before the savior could speak, Regina’s hands were on her neck again, pulling her close and into a deep kiss. Emma’s eyes went wide, but soon she closed them— enjoying their first kiss as much as she could. She found herself pushing the woman against the wall, hands going to her hips and starting to untie the green piece of fabric. Regina moaned, tongues seeking each other’s and brushing together. “I need you, Emma, I—”

“I’ve had a lot of fun tonight, Emma.” Regina’s voice took her out of her thoughts, making her inhale sharply as she realized that the woman was crossing the door of the bungalow and entering the living room. She had been just imagining it. Sighing, she walked in too and headed to Henry’s bedroom, checking that he was asleep before walking in theirs. “Thank you.” the brunette was undressing, a short nightgown on the bed.

“You’re welcome.” she smiled and walked to the bed, taking off her clothes too. “You’re a really good dancer.”

“Once you know how to waltz with a king, everything else is easy.”

“You’ll have to teach me then.”

“Someday.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Take me on a second date, and it will.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter chapter, but quite significative in my opinion for their relationship...

Nine in the morning and Regina was changing in the bathroom, while Emma waited lying on the bed. They had slept peacefully, enjoying the silence around them. In the end they had forgotten to build a pillow barrier between them, too tired from dancing and laughing to mind that. And drunk, they were drunk. When Emma had opened her eyes she had an awful headache, even if she knew that it would go away sooner. But it hadn’t been that what had made her morning extraordinary.

Emma had woken up with the woman in her arms, sleeping peacefully with her face buried on the crook of her neck. Legs intertwined, the older woman’s embrace tight, Emma had been stunned at first, the fact that not only she could feel the smell of sweat on the woman’s skin— the weather was getting warmer minute after minute that morning— but that it was Regina the one keeping her close. Regina, the woman who always claimed she was strong, that she did not need help, was breathing peacefully against her chest, her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. Suddenly Emma did not care that they had to wake up soon, that her parents would go to their bungalow and check if they were coming to the beach, or that Henry might enter the room without knocking. It just felt so right, so intimate.

And then Regina stirred in her arms, slowly opening her eyes. The savior quickly faked to be asleep, scared of the woman’s reaction when she found out that she had been watching her sleep. Was it too soon for that kind of things? _It probably is._ Breathing in and out softly, she felt how Regina looked at her, not moving from the position she was in. And then the woman sighed, slowly moving away from her, freeing herself from the savior’s embrace and walking away. Emma opened her eyes just in time to see the bathroom door close. She rolled on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

_I wish she had stayed in bed more._

* * *

With Henry and the rest of the Charmings swimming in the crystalline water and playing with the baby, Regina and Emma were once again left alone lying on the sand. With a floral bikini and sunglasses on, the brunette lay down on her back, while Emma took a nap next to her. Or at least she tried, because from time to time she would feel the other’s fingers brushing her hand, making her unable to fall asleep and instead smile. “Emma.” she heard the woman tell, making her open her eyes and take off the newspaper that she was using to cover them.

“What?”

“I’m gonna get my back burned, can you give me a hand with the sun lotion?” she asked, sitting up and opening her bag to take the tube of sun lotion and give it to Emma. Then she put her hair away from her shoulders, not wanting it to get stained with the white cream. “I can’t believe it can be so sunny.”

“It’s the main attraction of tropical countries, Regina.” the other smiled and moved to the woman’s towel, sitting behind her as the other moved forward. “Henry looks so happy.” she muttered, gazing at the boy. Truth was that the boy had woken way earlier than usual, being up at eight and preparing his breakfast without having Regina telling him— according to the brunette, that was extraordinary. The savior squeezed the tube and moved her hands to start spreading the lotion across the woman's back. Moving it slowly, the woman spread it on the other’s skin, massaging her skin slowly. “Do you think that he and that girl…?”

“Well, having his first kiss on a fair in the caribbean... he’s definitely lucky.” the woman laughed, closing her eyes and then biting down on her lip. Emma’s hands were gently massaging her lower back, making the woman sigh. “My first kiss was with Daniel, you know?” she smiled and bit her lip. She usually did not like remembering him, the memory being too painful despite how much time had passed. But now, feeling the other woman behind her, she felt protected. Just as protected as she had felt that morning, when she had woken up in the woman’s arms. Emma had that effect on her, making her feel calm and happy no matter what happened, reminding her of the good moments and not just the bad things in her life. “In the stable, when I was just a girl. I remember I came to the castle later than usually, my mother was enraged, but I told her I had had an accident with Rocinante… She wanted to sacrifice him after that.” her last words were spoken with slight bitterness, the memory of her mother making her stiffen under Emma’s touch.

“Shhh.” the savior seemed to have noticed that, moving her hands up to the woman’s shoulders and massaging there. She stopped for a second, moving closer to the woman, pressing her front to the woman’s back— suddenly Regina was glad to not to be facing Emma, or she’d laugh at her flushed face— and keeping on massaging. “It’s okay. She’s gone, she can’t hurt you anymore.”

“I know, but—”

“Regina,” Emma interrupted her again, stopping to massage her shoulders and wrapping her arms around her waist instead, hugging her from behind and pressing herself fully against her. “I know how much it hurts for you to talk about her, and we don’t have to. You don’t have to say anything, you don’t have to explain yourself. I don’t do well with expressing my feelings, and I know you are used to keep them inside. So you don’t have to talk about her, you don’t have to remember if it makes you hurt.” she leaned forward and sweetly kissed Regina’s shoulder. “You’re strong, smart, beautiful, and an amazing mother. You’ve gone through so much, and I admire you for that. So you have the right to want to forget. You have the right to not to talk about some stuff. Your mother was… well, Cora was a really shitty mother— and human being— in my opinion. But I don’t know most of the story, and I am no one to judge. But I don’t care what she did, I don’t care what she said.” Emma moved her mouth towards the woman’s neck, placing another kiss. “I only care about you, and that you are okay.” Another kiss, still gentle but that made Regina shiver. “I care about you being happy, I care about you being free. I will never restrain you from being yourself. So I’m here.” she whispered, leaning forward and pressing another soft kiss, this time on the crook of her neck. “I’ll always be here.”

The older woman was breathing heavily, eyes closed and head tilted to the side as she listened to Emma’s words. Her body seemed to have been shut down, leaning completely against the woman and with her lips parted. There was an ache between her legs, and she could feel her heart drumming inside her chest. There was no beach, there was no sea or sand, there was no one but them. She licked her lips, trying to find words to speak, trying to say something back. Instead, just a word was spoken in the shape of a whisper. “Always?”

“Always and forever.”


	6. Chapter 6

_“Always?”_

_“Always and forever.”_

The words had made the brunette smile, letting out a happy sigh as she kept her head tilted. She heard Emma do the same, feeling her hot breath against her neck before nuzzling her face against her shoulder. Regina closed her eyes, feeling sweat and heat on her skin but not caring at all. She slowly started thinking about how much time had passed, and the things she had done, the people she had loved…

It all started with Daniel, of course. Having fallen in love with the stable boy, she knew that their relationship had been always doomed because of her mother, but he had made the impossible: make her teenager self not to lose hope. That was one of the main reasons Regina had loved him, and probably why he was her True Love. Hope was the most important thing anyone could have, and if you had both hope and love, you were a lucky one in the Enchanted Forest. She could have had it all with him, and she didn’t.

The next time she fell in love somehow, was with Graham. She knew it wasn’t true love, that they weren’t officially in a relationship. She had always regretted what she had done to him, from the moment she became good. She could have had something good, at least until she had to let him go— his feelings for Emma had been obvious from the moment she got in town. Her old self crushed his heart as an act of vengeance, but now she wouldn’t have. She would have understood, she would have let him have his happy ending. She could have given the man everything that mattered to him, and she didn’t.

And then, Robin. She had not even been able to have a normal relationship with him, and now Zelena was pregnant with his son. It was quite fucked up, there were no other words to describe it. They could have been so happy, with Roland and maybe someday kids of their own. She had loved him, or at least it seemed to be love. She now doubted it, because yes, it hurt. It hurt that they had no future together, but at the same time it had been easy to stop thinking about him or the idea of a them. She doubted if their relationship had hope in it, or if she had simply kept her hopes high. She could have been happy with him, and she didn’t.

But Emma. Emma was the savior, the hope that according to the book everyone needed to get their happy ending. But since she had started realizing that she felt slightly attracted to the blonde, she had also started wondering if the woman that now hugged her from behind, protecting her from her past, was not just the savior but also _her savior._ She did not have white steed— a yellow bug could do, though— or shiny armor— a red leather jacket would definitely do—, but Emma wanted to be with her no matter who she had been in the past, she thought that she was worth loving, she felt attracted to her and wanted to do things right.

_Doing things right... as if that was easy for me._

“What are you thinking about?” she heard the other woman ask, having felt her stiffen under her touch. Regina let out a soft hum and shrugged, shaking her thoughts away and turning to face the other. She knew that there was nothing that was worth worrying the other woman for simply thinking about her past. She looked at Emma and smiled, losing herself in the green of the eyes that amazed her day by day. Opening her mouth to say something, she was interrupted by Henry approaching them.

“Mom, mom, I was thinking of—” he stopped dead, not expecting his mothers to be sitting so close, hugging with one’s face buried in the other’s neck. “What are you doing?”

Regina and Emma’s eyes widened as they realized that the boy had no idea about what had happened between them. Was it the right moment to tell him that they were starting to date, or should they wait? Were they even dating anyway? They turned and looked at each other, pursing their lips in thought. They had to talk about this before telling him anything.

“Anyway,” the boy spoke again, not giving much thought to the situation. “Can we go to the fair again tonight? You and me, and maybe— Well, maybe Kalia could come too?” he looked down, blushing furiously. Emma and Regina looked at each other again, smiles appearing on their faces.

“Of course, kiddo.” Emma laughed, moving away from the woman and standing up. Regina quickly started missing the feeling of her chest against her back, but was comforted as she saw the woman sit next to her, the blonde’s fingertips brushing hers. “And which of the girls is Kalia?” she asked, hand on her forehead to cover her eyes as she tried to find the group of teenagers that she was sure that were somewhere in the beach. Henry pointed to their left, the teenagers playing a cards game in a circle. The group was composed of three girls and four boys, which made seven. From that distance Emma could not distinguish their faces, but noticed two of the girls had blonde hair and the other had it dyed in a bright purple color.

Regina had stood up and was looking too, head tilted. She had taken off the blue sarong she wore around her hips that day and left it on the towel, her hands now on her hips. Emma couldn’t help but take a look that thankfully the other woman did not notice. “They look like a nice crowd… I don’t agree with that hair color though. It is as if she was looking for attention.” she muttered, turning her face to her son. “Okay then, who is Kalia?”

“The one with the purple hair color.”

“Oh.” Regina’s eyes widened as Henry spoke with a grin on his face, watching his mother’s cheeks quickly be covered by a red color in regret of having spoken too much. Emma stood next to her looking exactly the same as their son, with an amused grin as she stared at the older woman. _Well he really is her son._ “I’m sure she is a really nice girl.” Regina muttered before turning and starting to walk towards the water. Emma followed suit, laughing with Henry as they finally reached the wet sand. With a cold wave covering their feet, Emma turned to the boy and grinned.

“Last one to get in has to pay for cotton candy tonight!” she shouted before running into the water, splashing around her as she got deeper and finally dove in. Henry quickly did the same, until they both were away from the shore and waited for Regina to join them. The woman simply stood there, looking at them with her sunglasses on, her arms crossed on her chest. Standing awkwardly now, playing with the water with her toes, the woman was simply not moving, and her smile had disappeared. “Henry, go with your grandparents.” Emma spoke, her voice now serious. Something was wrong, she could see it despite how far away the woman was standing. Swimming towards her and then walking out of the water, the blonde quickly took the woman’s hand. “Regina, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Regina, don’t lie to me.” the blonde pursed her lips, furrowing as she looked at the other. She studied her face, trying to find something that told her why the woman had changed her attitude so quickly. “Regina.” Emma tried again, facing her. It was then when she spotted it, the slight quiver of the woman’s bottom lip, the way the woman’s chest rose and fell heavily. The tear that ran down her cheek. “Gina...” she muttered, raising her hand to wipe it away, feeling Regina rest her cheek against her palm. “What’s wrong?”

“I just, I…” the woman doubted, not wanting to tell Emma the truth. It was simply pathetic, and the savior would laugh at her if she knew. “I…” she tried again, trying to gather the courage to speak, but swallowing her words. Looking down, Regina swallowed hard and bit her lip. “I don’t know how to swim.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Oh my—” Emma gasped, eyes widening for a few seconds more before letting out a relieved sigh. “God, Regina, I thought it was something important.” she laughed, pulling the woman into a hug and holding her close as she laughed. The other woman swallowed hard, feeling tears in her eyes as she thought that she was not wrong, that Emma was laughing at her. It was when Emma pulled back and started to drag her towards the water when she reacted.

“What— What are you doing?!”

“I’m going to teach you how to swim.”

“Don’t be stupid, I am not going to let you teach me.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re in a crowded beach, with your parents and Henry and—”

“Are you embarrassed, Gina?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m sorry but that’s stupid. You’ve got nothing to worry about, no one here knows you and my parents can keep the secret.”

“Are you seriously telling me to believe Snow White can keep a secret...?”

“Touché.”

* * *

Regina glanced at the other, standing with the water up to her ankles with her hands on her hips, her back turned to Regina. "Emma? Do you really think this is a good idea?" the brunette asked uncertainly, worried about this. Sure, she was going to learn how to swim, with Emma. But she was not happy to think that she’d be trying to not to drown in the middle of a beach, in front of so many people.

"What? Don't worry." Emma grinned back at her, her blonde curls shining brightly under the sunshine.

"Fine," Regina said finally, slowly walking down to Emma in the water, the wet sand now familiar under her bare feet. "Are you completely sure? I mean, I don’t wanna drown..." she spoke. Emma grinned and took her wrist, calming the woman with the warmth of her hand against her skin.

“Come on, you’ll be safe.” Emma pulled slightly, the feeling of the moving saltwater against the brunette’s feet was so strange and yet so nice that both made her nervous and calm. She took a step more, and then another, the salty water starting to cover her legs. Emma smiled encouraging and pulled her further out in the water. "See?" Emma said with a smile. "It's fine, we get deeper slowly without any danger." the water was now reaching Regina’s thighs, and soon a wave that was a little higher than the others came crashing into her and soaked the bottom piece of her bikini.

“Uh!” the woman gasped, making Emma laugh. The blonde let go of Regina's wrist and splashed a handful of water at Regina’s torso. The water was ice cold against her stomach, and she let out another gasp. "Hey!" she exclaimed, furrowing her brows and quickly going to splash water back at Emma.

“Gina!”

“You started!” Regina laughed right before splashing more water on the other, both of them laughing loudly. Emma looked around her to make sure that no one was paying attention to them and discretely made a wave magically hit Regina, who stumbled at the impact and fell backwards. In that moment Emma realized the fear the woman could feel if she found herself actually _in_ the water, and ran to help her upright again. To her surprise, the woman was still laughing, unable to stop herself.

"Come on, we need to walk into the deeper water," Emma said, still smiling as she lead Regina longer out into the water. They stopped when the water reached Regina’s chest. "It's deep enough here," the blonde finally stated, turning to the older woman. "Okay, first you need to learn how to keep yourself afloat. Here, let me show you." Emma nodded for reassurement and lifted her legs from the sandy bottom. Straightening in the water, she was lying with her side to Regina, her stomach and knees just above the water, her arms stretched out on both sides. Then she stood again. "Your turn, I'll hold you like this," Emma said and held her hands under Regina's arms, "and you just lean back and try to lift your feet from the bottom,"

Regina hesitated, but eventually let go. She tried to do like Emma had showed her, but it was actually harder than it seemed. "J—just don't let me go, okay?" she whimpered, awkwardly struggling to stay afloat. Emma grinned. "Emma I’m not joking, don't let me drown!"

"Regina, we're not so deep, I'm only half down in the water!”

“Swear it!”

"Regina, you are with me! I'll make sure you don't drown." Emma laughed, but it didn't reassure Regina.

“Swear it!” the other repeated.

“Okay, okay! I swear!” Emma sighed. Though she was still laughing, it made Regina feel a little better. Shifting her hands so she had a hand on the middle of Regina’s back, Emma put the other under her neck. Regina felt her body stiffen. “You need to relax,” Emma told her. Regina took a deep breath and tried, she really did. “Gina, listen to me okay? Close your eyes, imagine that you’re sleeping in my arms...” she spoke softly. The woman pursed her lips, wondering if Emma had been already awake when she had woken up. But still, she closed her eyes and focused on the thought, smiling after a few moments. “See, it’s not that hard.” Emma whispered. Regina could feel the other moving her hands, preparing to let go. At that, panic surged through her body, and Regina’s focus broke.

“Shit!”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah…” Regina nodded and let her legs sink down to the sandy bottom again. “Can’t we try something else?” she asked, her voice shaking a little bit as she stood up and Emma removed her hands. Regina was clearly embarrassed, but forgot about it when she saw the way Emma was looking at her. “What?”

“Nothing.” the other smiled. _I love the way you get so scared now and yet don’t doubt to throw fireballs to evil witches and stuff like that,_ she added mentally. “Well, we can try simple swimming,”she suggested in a soft voice. “Okay Gina, try to float again, just on your stomach now. I’ll hold you up,” she spoke as she held out her arms for Regina to lie on. Regina bit her lower lip, but nodded hesitantly. Emma bent down and placed one arm under Regina’s chest, and the other just under her belly button as Regina leaned forward. “Yeah, that’s right. Try to move your arms forward in a circle, and hold your hands to you shove the water backward.”

Of course, after such an useless explanation, Regina failed.

“I’ll show you instead,” Emma stated after a few more failed attempts. Regina nodded and let her feet sink down on the sandy bottom yet again, while Emma removed her hands and flattened herself on her stomach, her head just above the water. “See? And then you just move your arms forward like this…” she explained, moving her arms in a circle, shoving the water behind her and shooting forward, “…and on the same time, kick out with your legs, moving them in a circle like this.” She showed it again and again. When she had swum a whole circle around Regina, she stood up again and held out her arms. “Your turn.”

Regina approached her slowly, and leaned forward, feeling Emma’s hands and forearms against her chest and stomach again. “Like this?” she questioned and moved her arms and legs, trying her best to mimic Emma’s movements. After a few moments, Emma was satisfied with her. “Okay, keep swimming, I’ll hold you.” she spoke, unconscious that as they moved they headed deeper in the water. “I’m going to let you go now, okay?”

Regina nodded again. Emma slowly let go and Regina made the movements she had just been explained to do, moving forward. Happy, she finally relaxed, making a mistake. Standing up, she tried to find the sandy bottom— but she didn’t, and her head came under water. She pushed upstairs and pulled her head out, breathing as much as she could, finding herself underwater again a second later. She tried to pull her head out again, breathing out as she tried to find the savior’s hands. Not knowing what was happening, the brunette could feel Emma’s hands trying to steady her, the blonde swimming. But Regina’s panic was not letting her stay calm— soon she saw black spots, her eyes closing as she blacked out.


	8. Chapter 8

Regina opened her eyes. The sky was blue above her, only a few small fuzzy clouds were visible. The sound of the waves hitting the sand slowly became perceptible, just as the whispers and voices around her. Still, her vision was blurred, unable to recognize anything but shadows.

“Regina!” a voice said beside her, and a shadowy face leaned over her. “Oh, thank god.” the voice sighed in relief. Regina couldn’t think clearly enough to identify the silhouette above her, but soon she felt a hand against her chest. Suddenly water welled up from her lungs and the hand moved quickly from Regina’s chest to her back, helping her sit up and throw up the water. She could breathe. Finally, her lungs were empty, and the brunette found herself inhaling deeply but with some difficulty. “Gina, hey, look at me. How are you?” the person beside her asked anxiously. Regina turned to look up at the worried face of the blonde savior, obviously scared. _What just happened?_ “I’m sorry, Regina. I did not mean to let you go, but you swam away and I thought you were okay and when I realized you weren’t you were drowning and I— I— I’m sorry,” Emma’s words were rushed, tears in her eyes. Soon the wide-eyed brunette realized what was happening.

Emma was crying, because she thought she lost her.

“Emma…” she whispered, unable to speak louder. She turned and saw many concerned faces staring at them, a lifeguard kneeling on the other side of her body. “Did I— Did I drown?”

“Almost.” the lifeguard said. “Thankfully for you, your wife quickly brought you to the shore.”

“She did?”

“Yes ma’am. You’re really lucky to have her.” the young man stood up and then shook Emma’s hand. “You’ve done a really good job, ma’am. Once she is feeling better and can walk, please bring her to the emergency shack so we can check she’s completely okay, ma’am.” the lifeguard told before starting to disperse the crowd and walking away.

“Okay…” Emma sighed, closing her eyes for a second and trying to remain calm before turning to the other. “Gina, shit, I’m sorry…” she whispered.

“You saved my life, Emma. Don’t apologize.”

“I would have done it even if you hadn’t made me swear it.”

Regina didn’t know what to say, still pretty dizzy and with her head being still slow from the long time with lack of air. Finally, she managed to croak a ‘thank you’ out. Emma smiled, concern still filling her eyes but also happiness. She moved a little away, leaning back and sitting on the sand. Regina looked around. They were sitting on the beach, Henry and the Charmings next to them. “Henry!” the woman gasped and reached for her son, to what he quickly responded by hugging her.

“I’m here mom. You’re alright.”

“I’m sorry I worried you, Henry.”

“That’s fine mom, don’t worry. But can you— uh— let go? Kalia is looking.”

“Oh, of course, sorry.” the woman laughed, turning to Emma. The blonde refused to leave her side, it seemed. Henry started walking away towards his grandparents, who now were more interested on the crying baby Snow held in her arms. Regina smiled— she would have never thought she’d be glad to see the Charmings— and then went to hug Emma. “Thank you.” she whispered, making the other smile.

“Always and forever, remember?”

* * *

“Mom, come on, we have to go pick up Kalia to her house!” the teenager spoke. Regina was putting on her shorts, the blue t-shirt she wore covering the bikini she wore under it. Sitting outside, Emma read the newspaper, waiting for the woman to finish dressing up. Henry walked up and down in front of her, checking his phone every two seconds. “We’re gonna be late, we’re gonna be late...”

“Calm down kid, you’re starting to sound like the white rabbit.” Emma laughed as the brunette finally walked out of the bedroom. “Damn.” the savior muttered as she glanced at her, still not used to see the woman without her ‘mayor Mills’ outfits. “Looking good.” she smirked. Regina rolled her eyes and locked the door, just as Henry turned around and saw her.

“Finally!”

Soon they were driving to the fair, after having picked Kalia up from the wooden house she lived in. As they drove the teenager explained how her mother worked at the fair and her father a fisher; how she was studying to become a pastry chef; how she had dyed her hair because her mother loved lavender. Regina glanced at the savior from the passenger’s seat, sighing as she saw the sun set. Days seemed to be twice as short as they were in Storybrooke— or maybe they simply enjoyed them more. Twenty minutes passed before the blonde parked, the teenagers quickly getting out of the car and running to the colorful rides and shooting galleries.

Regina was sure that she would not enjoy this, but the screaming children, whirling rides, over priced games, and crowds of sweaty people she was used to see in Storybrooke’s fair were nowhere to be seen. The place was full of people, but there were no long lines or crowds so large they could not walk through. A flash burst on her side, and after turning her head she caught the smiling faces of two young children staring at their camera-wielding mother. One was clutching a shark plush, while another a toy surfboard. She smiled, it was comforting to see normal people for once. In Storybrooke nothing was normal, even though people pretended it was.

“Okay,” Emma’s voice took her out of the distraction of all the bright and colorful lights, the loud sounds and music coming from the shooting gallery next to them. It had been ages since she had enjoyed a night at the fair. When Henry was little, she tried to mask the fact that people treated them differently by getting on the rides with him and spoiling the kid with cotton candy and big stuffed animals. She even tried to win things at the shooting galleries, even if she did not always win— little Henry had fun anyway. But as he grew up, he noticed the stares and stopped enjoying the fairs. It was then when Regina stopped going with him, in an attempt for her son to make friends. Her plan failed, of course. “What do you want to do first?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Well then, I suggest we get some food and take a look around. Even though I’m pretty sure these rides work the same as in the States, but I think that that hula attraction must be different.” the blonde laughed. And so she took her hand, making Regina pull back slightly. “We don’t have to if you don’t want.” she spoke, knowing that the woman was not keen on public displays of affection.

“No, no, it’s okay. It’s just that all the relationships I’ve had started with some random kiss, and then has been a secret. I’m kinda new in this.”

“Well then, Regina Mills.” Emma took her hand and intertwined their fingers, pulling her close. “It’s time to be normal, for once. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now, let’s go. I’m dying to try one of those chicken snacks they are selling in that truck over there.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long! I've been busy these days, I hope this makes up for it. Enjoy Emma and Regina's second date!

“Damn, this is good.” Emma was practically drooling as she chewed the pieces of meat in her stick, looking at Regina as she tried to eat them with some gracefulness. “C’mon, Gina, it’s not like I’ll stop liking you if you are not as uptight as usually.”

“I just prefer using cutlery!” the other whined before starting to eat her dish. And Emma was right, it was delicious. “Mmm…!” Regina licked her lips and quickly went to take another bite, quickly forgetting about being graceful. Emma smiled, still staring at her as she chewed more meat.

"Where do you want to go first?" the blonde questioned, turning to look around them. There was a big ferris wheel far away from them, and two or three roller coasters in between, but she spotted Henry and Kalia in the queue of a teacups ride— so she looked at the other woman and grinned. “Let’s go make the kiddo embarrassed?”

“Emma, don’t.” Regina stopped her, shaking her head and then looking to the other side. “Let’s go to the pirate ship.” she smiled, then rushed to walk towards the ride. She was honestly scared of getting in the rides— these all looked way bigger than the ones in Storybrooke— but preferred that to having Emma embarrass their son already. She cringed at the sight of the ship, noticing how it almost gave a complete turn, leaving people upside down before moving down again.

“Gina, wait,” she heard Emma say as she approached the tickets booth. With a smile she talked to the man and got both of them green bracelets, then walked back. “They’re so we can get in all the rides. Henry told me about them this morning, it’s easier and cheaper than paying at each ride.” she explained, putting one around Regina’s wrist and then around her own. With a smile she then got in the small queue, the ship starting to slow down. A few minutes passed until it fully stopped, people getting out of the ride.

Finally it was their turn, getting almost on one of the ends of the ship— Regina cringed once more, realizing that that the fake ship was starting to move backwards. “Emma, I can’t do this.” she started, turning to the other and gripping her arm tight. “Have you seen how high it goes?!” Panic was obvious in her face as they swung forward, making a few children sitting in front of them giggle.

“It’s not that bad, Gina.” the blonde laughed as they swung backwards again, this time a group of teenagers sitting on the other end being the ones laughing. The blonde lifted her arm, moving slightly closer to the older woman under the bars that firmly pressed them against the seat, and wrapped it around the other’s shoulder. “Better?”

“Unless having your arm on my shoulder stops this thing, then n— AH!” she was unable to keep speaking, a loud scream coming directly out of her throat as she gripped Emma tightly.

* * *

“I hate you!”

Regina was sure that this had been the best date she had gone on— and it had not finished yet. Emma had dragged her to the most intense rides like a child before actually letting themselves get a break and going to the bumper cars. But despite the fear she had felt before, now everything was laughter as she tried to bump against Emma’s yellow car.

“No you don’t.” the other laughed, driving away and losing herself between a crowd of multicolor cars, most of them driven by teenagers or parents with their children. Lips pursed, Regina tried to find her again, but didn’t. At least not until Emma bumped her car on the side just before they stopped. “Ha!”

“That wasn’t fair.” Regina pouted, getting out and walking towards the other. Emma kept laughing as she took the other’s hand and pulled her close. It was a gentle movement, but enough to flush their bodies together for a few seconds. The other inhaled sharply at the closeness, gazing into Emma’s eyes and then down at her lips. God, she wanted to kiss those lips. She started to lean forward, but soon pulled back.

“You are not kissing me in the middle of a bumping cars rink, Swan.”

“Why, Gina? Are you more of a Ferris Wheel woman?”

“Maybe.”

* * *

“So we have eaten typical dishes, rode almost all the rides and have bought cotton candy. We are so cliché.” Emma laughed as she threw away the sticks of what had been fluffy pink treats. She then pulled Regina close to her wrapping her arm around her shoulders as they walked. “So why don’t we finish this date in the most cliché way and try at the shooting galleries, then go to the Ferris wheel?”

Regina rolled her eyes, even though deep inside she was quite excited about the idea. Sure, it was cliché, unoriginal, and definitely silly. But this was the date she had never had when she was younger, this something new for her— and she had definitely loved their date. They approached one of the wooden cabins, a large collection of teddy bears of all sizes and animal plushies of all colors decorating it.

“Step right up! Step right up, and win a prize! All sharpshooters and amateur gunslingers, step yourselves on up to the booth and win a shiny new toy for your special sweetheart!” a man chanted from one side as a man tried to win a plush for his girlfriend— who looked more like his daughter and cooed over a large stuffed bunny. Emma grinned and walked to an empty spot, plunking down some coins.

“Hey, here’s a shooter! Here’s a shooter! Lucky number 8, right here on the end! Nice good looking woman, ready to win a prize for herself. Any man who would want to win her a prize instead? Seriously, a man who does not want to win such a beautiful lady is definitely a _hûpô o nâ hûpô,_ as we say!” the obnoxious man spoke, making Emma let out a soft groan as she focused on the targets. Regina looked from behind, rolling her eyes as the man kept yelling. “But look at her hot brunette friend, if no one wins her a prize I’m giving her one myself!”

The game was shooting rubber pellets at moving targets, little wooden ducks circling round a track on rails in such a fast pace that they were nearly impossible to hit. The man next to her groaned and put some more coins into the machine, buying more pellets. Emma inhaled deeply and started shooting. “One for blondie!” the man yelled with fake happiness, Emma having knocked down one of the duck targets of the smallest size and winning fifty points. “Reach seventy five for a small prize, a hundred for a medium one, and a hundred and fifty for our special prize, a member of the Hani bears family!” he announced, encouraging both clients to shoot at more targets. While the man failed, in two minutes and just using three of her five pellets Emma had knocked down two more small ducks. “Well damn,” both women heard the man that was yelling a minute before gasp, quickly going to fake more happiness. “It looks like we have a winner!” he yelled, making some people that were watching clap slightly. “Which one would you like, ma’am?”

“The light brown one with the red ribbon.” Emma smiled with satisfaction, watching the man reach for the enormous teddy bear and handing it to her. She then turned to Regina with a smug grin on her face. “It’s bigger than you!” she joked before giving the brunette the stuffed animal. “You like it?”

Regina nodded, going to look at the plush and running her hand over its face. It was soft, and as she hugged it a grin appeared on her face. “Yes I do, actually. Even if it is really cliché.” she whispered, staring at Emma with a now smaller smile. “Thank you.”

“A pleasure, my queen.” the other winked at her and tilted her head. “Let’s go to the Ferris wheel?”

“Definitely.”

They headed for the queue, waiting in line for a few minutes before the operator guided them into one of the bench seats. The bench was more than enough for the two of them, maybe for three people if one of them was a child. Regina set the large bear on one side and then watched Emma sit besides her, the operator securing the safety bar and then pulling back. The ride lurched into motion without warning, causing Regina to screech in surprise and grip the railing tightly as they climbed higher and higher. Wrapping her arm again around her shoulder, Emma smiled at her and moved closer to her, the moon shining bright on the starred sky. “God, this is so beautiful.” Regina sighed, leaning on Emma’s side and staring around them. The fair was placed next to the beach, where people played soccer or lay down talking and having a drink. Everything was so beautiful, even the slightly annoying music from the rides or shooting galleries. They slowly moved down, and up again, the ride stopping a few times to allow others to exit the ride or get in. One of these times, they were nearly at the top, letting them enjoy the view.

“According to clichés, this is when I make some charming comment and we kiss.” Emma prompted, turning to Regina with a smirk on her face.

“But we are not that cliché-ish...” Regina teased, turning to her as best as she could under the security bar and leaning forward, her lips hovering over Emma’s. So this was it, this was when Emma finally kissed her. Sure, she had kissed her neck before in the beach, making her feel quite aroused in that moment. But now it was to be their first kiss— the first time she ever kissed a woman. She could already feel that strange feeling in her stomach, like butterflies. _Maybe Emma isn’t, but you definitely are cliché, Regina! Butterflies, really?!_  “... Or are we?” she whispered, glancing at the blonde’s lips for a second before looking to her eyes again.

“We definitely are not.” the other spoke, making Regina pull back slightly, thinking that she was wrong after all, that Emma was not going to kiss her that night. But the savior was definitely going to do so, but not in the way Regina thought. She leaned forward, ignoring the other’s lips and going to kiss her neck the same way she had done that morning at the beach. The other inhaled sharply, quickly closing her eyes to enjoy the feeling of the other’s lips brushing her clavicle with soft kisses, gently caressing her skin. Emma kissed her throat, then her jawline, making her way up to her face. "But we can be." And then, she pulled back slightly, brushing her lips over Regina’s for a second before capturing them.

* * *

“Henry, aren’t those your moms, the ones that you say are just friends…?” Kalia asked, pointing at the couple that now passionately made out on the top of the ferris wheel.


	10. Chapter 10

When they walked out of the ride, Henry and Kalia were waiting in a nearing shooting range, talking to a woman that looked so much like her. It was obviously the girl’s mother, they shared the same round brown eyes and the same small smile. In fact, the girl seemed to be a younger but still identical version of the woman, just with slightly darker skin. Emma had her arm around Regina’s shoulder, keeping her close as they walked with the large teddy bear in the other woman’s arms. “How are you gonna name him?”

“Knight.” Regina smiled shyly, hugging the bear tighter as she spoke. “I wanted him to remind me of you.”

“Why not Savior then?”

“You are not choosing our kids’ names.”

“Oooh, thinking already about kids?”

“Oh, shut up.”

“But Gina, wh—”

“Ma’am Mills!” Kalia grinned at them, walking with a smaller teddy bear in her hand. “Oh wow, that is certainly a big bear. Did you win it at Ikaika’s gallery?” she asked, running a hand on the plush’s head. “Ikaika’s is the one with the ducks.”

“Oh, yeah.” Emma nodded. “I hit three of the smallest ducks.”

“No wonder you won the biggest prize, ma’am.” the girl laughed. “It’s so big!”

“That’s what she said.” the blonde couldn’t help but joke.

“Emma!”

“Mom!”

“Good one, ma’am.” Kalia grinned, ignoring both of the two Mills family members that covered their face with shame. The teenager girl then turned to Henry and smiled, keeping a distance now that the boy’s moms were there. “I really like mine though, even if it’s, uh, what’s the word… small?”

“Well you’re a lucky one, kiddo! Size doesn’t matter to her.”

“Emma!”

* * *

An hour later they got back to the resort, Henry and Kalia saying goodbye to them. "Be careful! And I want you back before the doors close!" Regina reminded the boy. The teenager closed the door and started walking away, accompanying his girlfriend to her house. Kalia lived near the resort, just ten minutes away from one of the many entrances and near the beach, which meant that Henry would not be back for a bit. Regina smiled and passed the key card in front of the scanner and waited for the barrier to go up, then drove down the paths and between the trees and plants towards the bungalow. "They look really happy, don't they?"

"Aaah, young love." Emma sighed, stretching her arms and then putting a hand on the other woman’s thigh, caressing her leg softly. Regina bit down on her lip, not staring away from the path but having a fuzzy  feeling in her lower stomach. She glanced at Emma, who was now looking back to the lonely brown bear that sat on the back. "Where are we putting Savior these days? In our bed? Two is company, but three's a crowd..."

"I'll put him between us, so you can't cuddle me tonight.” Regina teased with a cheeky grin. “And it's Knight, not Savior."

"I was not cuddling you... You were the one who was cuddling me as if she was a koala.” Emma frowned and moved to

And it's Savior."

"Do you want to sleep in the couch, Miss Swan?"

"We're not even married and you are already sending me to the couch? Damn."

"Oh, shut up."

"Make me."

They both fell silent immediately, Emma’s lips tilting into a smirk as she saw the embarrassment on the other’s face. Regina’s cheeks were bright red now, a sudden tension between them as she parked next to the bungalow. She shut the car off and stared forward, not really focusing on anything as she tried to get her thoughts straight. Was she ready to have sex with Emma, like she knew they probably would end the night? She had pondered the idea, but there was something that still pulled her back. The problem was, she had no idea of what made her not want to, at least not yet.

Maybe it was the fact that almost all her previous relationships had ended up badly. In fact, she knew that it was the most probable reason, and that she had to get over her past or Emma would leave too. But what if she gave herself fully to Emma, her heart, her soul and her body, and then the other left anyway? She knew that she was not strong enough to endure that. She knew that if Emma left, she’d be alone again.

“Gina, are you okay?” she heard the other ask, quickly realizing something was wrong. “You know I was just teasing.”

“I know, Emma.” she whispered, then turned to the other while biting down on her lower lip. “I just am slightly nervous… Well, scared... Kinda.”

“Scared?”

“Yeah.” Regina unbuckled herself so she could face the other, then watched Emma do the same. “I want to have sex with you, but I need time and I don’t want you to think I’m being a tease or anything if we start something and I don’t want to finish it.”

“That’s alright, Gina, I—”

“Swan, let me finish.” she spoke, glancing at Emma so she would not interrupt her again. “I want to do things right. I don’t want to wait months or anything, I just— This feels strangely weird. We are in a tropical island, away from Storybrooke, and it makes me wonder if when we come back it is going to be different. And I need a few more days to get used to this.”

“To this? What do you mean?”

“To feel loved. To feel as loved as I felt with Daniel.”

“You mean that you think that maybe we—”

“Yeah.”

“Is it possible to have another?”

“I think so. Love is the most powerful and complicated magic.”

“Would that be weird for you? That I was your second T—”

“No.” Regina interrupted her again. “But if we really have something more than just love, if it is…” she did not dare to speak the two words out loud. “If it is _that kind of magic_ , I do not want to mess it up. I want to do things right.”

“Okay. So you’re basically saying that you need some time to think because you think we might be each other’s True Love and that you want to be completely sure by the time we have sex, right?”

“Yes… Though I didn’t want to mention _that._ You know… True Love.”

“Oh, okay. We’ll call it something else from now on then.”

“Okay.” Regina fell silent for a few seconds. “Are you okay with, uh, this? What I’ve told you.”

“Definitely. I mean, we can still make out and that stuff, right?”

“Of course.”

“So I get to go on dates with you and make out… Don’t worry, Gina. I can always finish myself in the shower if you get me all hot and bothered.” Emma teased again.

“Oh, shut up.” the brunette laughed, leaning forward to kiss her. With a smile on her lips, she felt Emma put her hand on the back of her neck as their lips met, sharing soft, gentle kisses between laughs. The blonde had this power that Regina couldn’t explain, something that made her forget about her fears and feel safe with just a short talk like that. It seemed silly, and now Regina realized she maybe hadn’t made much sense at all. “Let’s go inside?” Regina whispered a few minutes later, pulling back and pushing her hair behind her ear.

“No, I’ve got a better idea.” Emma grinned and then turned, opening the door and getting out of the car. Sure, they were not going to have sex, even though Emma was dying to. Regina was definitely gorgeous, and for what she had seen of her in her bikinis, she felt this need to touch her whenever she saw some expanse of skin exposed. But still, there were many things that she wanted to do with the other besides from touching her. Now, she had only one thing in mind. “I’ve got a bottle of vodka in the trunk. Wanna go to the beach and get drunk there?”

“You’re an alcoholic, Miss Swan.”

“Then let’s be alcoholics together.”


	11. Chapter 11

The beach was silent, or at least it was until the couple had emptied the bottle of vodka. Now they were both singing and dancing on the sand, their feet wet as waves clashed on them. “Emma, oh my god.” Regina laughed as she saw the blonde strip down into her bikini, then run into the water. _She’s crazy,_ she thought to herself as she did the same. Putting their bikinis on had taken just two minutes, and given Emma a furtive peek to the woman’s bare back— the blonde grinned, knowing that it was Regina teasing her.

“Are you coming, mayor Mills?!”

“Of course I am, sheriff Swan.” the brunette giggled, swimming— if you could call that the way the woman awkwardly approached Emma— towards her and joining her. Cold, small waves against them, peaceful water on their skin, the moonlight shining above them, they could barely see each other. “Don’t let me go.” Regina whispered, taking Emma’s hand and moving closer, arms wrapping around her neck.

“Never.” the other smiled and leant forward, kissing the brunette softly as she wrapped her arms around her body. The two of them alone, with no sound but the water clashing against the sand, the fish swimming near them, and the soft breeze of air, it was perfect. Honestly, Emma did not want to go back to Storybrooke. “I’m never letting you go.”

* * *

 

“Moms?” Henry called, knocking on the bedroom door and waiting for an answer. There was none, and so he knocked again. “Moms?” he sighed, then opened the door slowly. He stared inside, seeing his mothers sleeping peacefully in the bed, Emma’s arms around the other and her face buried on the woman’s hair. _So they actually are girlfriends?_ he thought to himself as he closed the door again. He knew that there was something going on with their mother, he and Kalia had seen them kiss at the fair. But… together? Regina and Emma? He grinned.

_The savior is saving the queen, and herself… Finally they’re getting their happy ending._

* * *

“Good morning.” Emma whispered when she felt Regina move her fingertips on her chest. It was a slight movement, a entranced, never-ending circle that felt like a feather on the blonde’s skin. It was late morning, and they were sure Henry was already awake and even in the pool of the resort, but they did not want to move. Bare bodies against each other’s, they were too peaceful to actually move. The brunette looked up, not having noticed the woman was awake, then smiled.

“Good morning.” she sighed, leaning forward to kiss the other’s lips sweetly before pulling back. Looking under the sheets of the bed, the woman raised a brow and swallowed hard.  “We definitely had too many drinks yesterday... I guess the clothes never went back on after skinny dipping.” she muttered before her eyes opened wide and she pulled back on the bad. “Wait, did we—”

“Nope.” Emma grinned, taking Regina and pulling her close, making her straddle her lap. With the other uncovered and completely exposed, she glanced down her body and licked her lips. She could already feel herself getting turned on, and the memories of the last night were not helping to ease the slight ache between her legs. She settled Regina properly on her lap and put her arms on her hips. “You look amazing…” she muttered, eyes set on her perfectly round breasts before looking up and laughing. “Anyway,” she spoke again, shaking her head slightly. “We were in the water, fooling around. You clung to me as if you were a koala, and I kinda took advantage of that to put my hands in your ass. A lot of time. Then well, we made out. You kept kissing me,” Emma’s voice was a whisper, her hands caressing the other’s skin. She leant forward and kissed Regina softly. “I needed to step away, because we were drunk and you did not want to do it so quickly, so I started pulling away, saying we could go back to singing and dancing, but you kept saying no, and staying in the water, and then…” Emma grinned and squeezed the woman’s buttcheeks, pulling her closer and kissing the other deeply. “You took off your bikini top and threw it at me. You were so drunk...”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe I did that!” Regina laughed, going back to kiss the other. They were deep kisses, but innocent at the same time. All the body contact, the hands all over each other, the whispers, it was just them being playful. The room was silent now, except for the sound of lips clashing against the other and even some moans between giggles. “And then what?”

“You came out of the water. I was like ‘finally!’ until I realized you were holding your bikini bottoms in your hands.”

“I was naked!?”

“Yeah.” Emma sighed, a sly grin on her face. “You are such a tease when you’re drunk, it was pretty hard to resist you.”

“But you did.”

“Of course. If you say no, it’s no. Until you look at me and tell me you want to have sex, explicitly, I won’t make the move even if I need to.”

“You’re such a gentlewoman, you know?”

“No, I’m just a decent human being. And trust me, just seeing you naked was so worth it.”

“You’ve seen me naked before, Emma.”

“Not really. Like, yes, I had seen your ass, but this was… a whole new level. You looked like some nymph coming out of the water, with the moon making the water shine on your skin and with those awesome legs of yours and that smirk…” the blonde inhaled deeply, she was getting too turned on to speak. She closed her eyes and breathed out softly, trying to calm down, but then she noticed something. The skin of her thigh was glistening, she could feel it damp. Her eyes shot open, her eyes meeting Regina’s, then her leg, then her eyes again. She had not noticed her moving on her thigh, she really hadn’t. _How did she…_ Emma practically climaxed when she realized what had happened. “God, Gina, did you just— Do you want to…?”

“Shh.” the other hushed her, wrapping her arms around her neck and clashing their lips together. The kiss was needy, the brunette’s tongue pushing into her. Hands tangled on blonde locks, Emma moved her kisses down the other’s neck, licking the salt remaining on her skin, moving lower and lower. Her right hand moved to Regina’s front, grabbing the woman’s breast, groping it and squeezing it before wrapping her lips around the soft flesh of her nipple. “I want you, Emma.” the brunette moaned, looking down at the other and meeting her green eyes again. “I want it all, with you, now.”


	12. Chapter 12

There was no time for talking, as soon as the woman said these words Emma kissed her hungrily, pushing her tongue into her mouth, hand on the back of her neck as the other stayed on Regina’s breast. The brunette moaned against her lips, overwhelmed for a second by the speed of the other’s actions. Tongue against tongue and hands all over each other’s skin, they barely breathed, unable to stay away from each other. Fingers tangling on blonde curls, Regina bit the other’s lip, dragging her teeth on it, smirking as Emma moaned. Emma moved her hands to her lover’s back, dragging her short nails down and finally reaching her ass. Squeezing it tightly, she pressed Regina’s body against her own, wetness moving from her thigh to her stomach as the brunette wrapped her legs around her.

They moved slowly at first, hips grinding against each other’s and lips clashing together with desperate need. The warmth coming through the window was nothing compared to the sudden heat that had taken over the room. Skin becoming sweaty, silence becoming pants and heavy breaths, wetness obvious. Nothing existed but them, not the birds that sung outside or the cars that occasionally drove down the path to the neighboring bungalows. Regina felt the other lean forward, gently pushing her again without separating their bodies. Her elbows touched the mattress and she rested her back against it, enjoying the feeling of the thin sheet under her. Emma moved on top of her, body still between her legs and hips against the others. And the movement of their bodies started again, one against the other, slow as they went back to kissing.

Regina had never had sex so passionately as she was doing with Emma, not so slowly but still hot. They did not think their actions, they simply moved together as if they could speak without saying a word. The savior pushed her hips against her, thrusting gently as they kissed. “Mhmm…” the brunette moaned against the other’s lips, eyes opening to gaze at her. Sweat on her face, blonde curls wild after a night in the salted water, she looked like a greek goddess. They stared at each other, hips always moving as Regina’s hands moved to her lover’s chest. Squeezing her breasts as she felt her hips grind against her, the queen let out another moan. “Emma.”

“I want you…” the blonde panted, leaning forward to kiss her desperately again. Regina gladly accepted the kiss, feeling abandoned as the blonde’s lips moved lower on her body, teasing her breasts with her tongue and teeth before continuing her way. Many kisses were placed on her stomach, the stretch marks hinted on her tanned skin being covered in love and lust. Regina wanted her so much, the blonde could smell it. Tip of her nose brushing on her mound, the blonde moved to her inner thighs, tracing a path from one to the other, tongue and lips never meeting her core. Emma pulled back slightly and moved her hands to the other’s sex, spreading her folds gently with her fingers and then blowing cold air against her clit.

“Please Emma…” Regina begged with a whimper, shivering at the sensation. She felt her legs shake, body wanting to close them but the blonde’s arms keeping them spread. Emma smiled, fingers pulling back and arms wrapping around her thighs instead. “Please, _oh_ , please.” the brunette moaned as the other’s tongue slowly moved up her slit and between her folds. “Fuck…” was heard as it made contact with her clit, making her body buck in pleasure before melting at the sensation. Emma’s tongue teased her entrance, dipping inside of her and moving slightly before pulling out and up her folds again. “Mhm…..!” the woman’s eyes rolled as Emma started to lap at the sensitive bundle of nerves, tongue rolling in slow circles around it before sucking on it, not giving time for Regina to know what was next. The blonde worshipped her sex with growing passion, lust taking over her mind as the brunette approached her climax. “Emma, _oh_ , Emma…” Regina moaned, muscles tensing and toes curling as she reached her peak. Her whole body shuddered, unwillingly struggling to get rid of Emma’s embrace. The blonde grabbed her thighs tight, keeping her in place, making her arch her back and bite her lip roughly, trying to contain the screams that threatened of escaping her lips.

And then it was gone, and her body stilled, and Emma pulled back. She immediately missed the feeling of the other’s lips on her, craving more, but was quickly comforted as Emma rested her forehead on her mound and placed soft kisses on her wet folds. “You alright?” the blonde questioned, making her laugh throatily. She heard her laugh too, tongue moving to collect her juices slowly, avoiding to cause the other to climax again. Not that she did not want to, oh no. Emma was now sure that she could spend hours worshipping the other’s sex, hearing her moan, feeling the warmth between her legs as close as she could. But as much as she wanted to do that, she was dying to kiss the other again. “You taste so good, Gina.” she whispered, moving on the bed and crawling on top of her before placing a slow, gentle kiss on her lips.

“Mhm, I do.” the brunette agreed, hands caressing their way up Emma’s back and finally resting on her neck. She pulled back, kissing her lips one more time before pressing their foreheads together. “And you are really good at… _that._ “ she laughed, kissing Emma again and again, laughter escaping her lips as she felt the other rest against her thigh. “Turned on, Swan?” she husked, feeling the wetness touch her skin.

“Well, you taste really good, you know?”

“I need another taste.” Regina grinned, pulling the other close and into another kiss. This time it was Emma’s turn to rub her core against her thigh, making her start to breathe heavily. “Don’t finish.” the brunette told, hands going to Emma’s hips to control the movements she made and slow her if she got too excited.

“Oh, someone’s showing her dominant side…”

“I am not. I just don’t want you to do all the work.”

“Uhuh.” Emma kissed the woman, tugging on her lip with her teeth before releasing it and pulling back. Regina was completely flustered, hands on Emma’s hips as she moved. “Are you a dominant, Regina Mills?” the blonde kept teasing, leaning forward and hovering her lips over hers.

“Emma, shut up.”

“Make me.”

“Emma.”

“Please, please _madame Mills_.” Emma said with an innocent tone, faking a younger voice and looking at Regina with a pout. “Please don’t punish me, I’ll be your good girl…”

“Oh, for god’s sake.” the woman huffed, moving her right hand to the other’s neck as the other moved to her bottom. She straightened Emma’s neck, darkened eyes meeting her green ones. “Listen to me, Swan.” she spoke, hand moving to the back of her lover’s neck. She saw Emma’s mouth fall open in surprise, and yet no fear in her eyes. Regina grinned and dropped her hand, moving it between their bodies and quickly finding Emma’s sex. Her fingers moved up and down her slit and then to her clit. “You don’t want to see my dark side.” she spoke, moving her fingers slowly, applying pressure at the end of the sentence. “You don’t want to be dominated by me, you don’t want me to make you suffer.” she circled her clit one last time and then moved them to her entrance, pushing inside of the blonde deeply. Emma let out a loud moan— much to her lover’s pleasure— and started moving up and down the other’s digits. “I might not be the evil queen anymore,” she spoke, starting to thrust in and out of her roughly. Emma wrapped her arms around her neck and then rested her forehead against hers, eyes set on each other’s. “But I can still make you mine.”

The word make Emma close her eyes shut and gasp, nails digging on Regina’s scalp when her fingers found her hair as she climaxed. Being the woman’s, doing the many things the way Regina saying ‘mine’ suggested, made her shiver, crave more. “Fuck, Gina.” she breathed out between loud moans, hips bucking on the woman’s fingers and body shivering. Her back arched and she pressed her front against the woman’s, feeling her bite on her neck. “Yours, only yours.”

“Shh.” she was hushed by the woman. Emma sighed and smiled, eyes still closed. The woman ran her hand on her blonde curls, not wanting to let go as she rode out the quick but heavy orgasm. They fell silent during what felt like an eternity, Regina’s fingertips caressing her back. “Are you okay?” she heard her whisper with pure worry, the former queen’s voice now just a whisper. “I did not mean to be so… rough. Not on our first time. I just— I’m not used to, uh, making love. I mean, I enjoy rough sex, but... I’m sorry.” she apologized with a sigh, pulling Emma closer. The blonde breathed out against her shoulder and placed a soft bite on her shoulder and then laughed quietly.

“We seriously need to have a discussion about BDSM when we get to Storybrooke, _madame Mills_.”


	13. Chapter 13

They spent an hour more making love, this time slowly, without rush. Emma worshipped the other woman’s body and Regina learnt the magic of being touched and touching another person without causing it to hurt, discovering the smallest details of each other’s bodies. It was easy for them to connect with each other, as if they knew each other completely, despite they were just starting to date— and had never shared this kind of intimacy before. Then, when their skin was covered in sweat and they could barely keep their eyes open, they slept peacefully in each other’s arms for another hour, until they were awoken by the sound of Neal’s cries as the rest of the blonde’s family approached the bungalow.

“Emma?” they heard the former prince call her from the door, knocking on the glass before opening it. The brunette rolled on the bed, frowning before standing up and mouthing that she was going shower. “Emma, Regina?” David called again, steps coming closer to the bedroom door. The baby's cries stopped and they could hear Mary Margaret singing to him, waiting for her daughter to appear from the bedroom.

“We’re getting changed, wait outside.” the blonde spoke calmly, knowing that seeming alarmed would only make her parents suspicious. Emma didn’t know if Regina would be okay with her revealing the new nature of their relationship, or what would they do after they left the resort. _Will she be okay with us not keeping this as a secret? I should ask her._ She walked to the bathroom and into the shower, surprising a very confused Regina that looked at her with wide eyes. “Shh, I’m only gonna shower.” she whispered with a grin, getting under the stream of water and cleaning her body quickly before walking out. Regina smiled and kept showering, musing and humming a song the blonde could not hear after closing the door, finding peace in the warm water. Emma smiled and took a towel from the shelf, drying her skin carefully and then putting on another bikini, this time blue. “Where’s my watch?” she questioned to herself, glancing around the room. She remembered placing all her clothes on the floor of the bedroom as soon as they had gotten there, but as she searched for it she found something else that caught her attention. A shiny necklace with a golden ring, Emma knew what was it. _Did she take it off last night? Maybe it fell,_ she thought, taking the necklace and seeing the ring fall. The thin chain was broken, and Emma gasped. _Shit, shit, shit. Did I just break Regina’s necklace? Well maybe it was already broken… Regina is gonna kill me._

“Emma, can you hand me a towel?” she heard the woman from inside the bathroom, making her drop the ring in surprise.

“Shit!”

“What was that? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah!” the blonde took the ring and fumbled with it, scared of dropping it again until she had an idea. She quickly put it on her finger, then reached for another towel and handed it to the woman. “Sorry, I dropped my watch.” she smiled at the brunette and walked back to the bed, put on her shorts, then hid the broken chain in her pocket. Sure, lying to Regina was not the best way of starting their relationship, but it would be better to save the woman the pain of seeing her loved necklace broken. She’d go to buy another one to a jewelry store near the resort later, then leave the necklace on the nightstand. And Regina would not even notice, and she wouldn’t be hurt.

“You’re still not dressed?” the brunette questioned, wearing a summer dress and a large, red flower decorating her hair. “Your parents are waiting, we are going to the water park in ten minutes..” she reminded her before walking out of the room. “Good morning, idiot number two.” she smiled at David and then walked to the kitchen. “Emma, do you want something for breakfast?”

“Just a toast and a coffee!” the blonde answered from the bedroom, making the brunette smile happily and the couple that sat on the couch frown and look at each other with confusion. Breakfast was prepared in just a few minutes, and soon Emma was devouring the toast with hunger while Regina drank her coffee. “How far is the water park?”

“Just twenty minutes away by car, so we should be there by nine, if Henry and Kalia are here in time.” Mary Margaret said, observing the two women act so strangely as she held the baby. She thanked god Henry was not seeing this, she was sure it would confuse him. It would be no good for him to see his mothers, who had hated each other, had now become more than friends. It would be no good, now that the teenager was used to having two mothers, a dead father and two more fatherly figures. It was a mess. She turned to her husband, talking to him in a whisper. “They’re acting strange.”

“Emma is.” he spoke calmly, more focused on observing his daughter and not the brunette. “Regina is still as mean as usual.”

“David, she made Emma breakfast. That is more than just strange. And they are sharing a bed, but they don’t need to, there is a couch. Couldn’t Regina just sleep there?” she questioned, unaware that the older brunette was staring at her, listening to her small rant— and growing more and more angry as the former princess spoke. “What if they are… You know. Doing… that thing… that awful thing… Lesbianing together?”

“Listen, idiot number one. First, if you are curious about if I’m doing it with your daughter you just need to ask, no need to be a whiny little princess and quoting _Orange Is The New Black_ because you know nothing better than a fictional, devout Christian’s opinion. Second, your idiotic opinion does not matter to me and I don’t want to hear a word coming from you about me and Emma being together. Third, yes. I’m screwing your daughter, and she’s really good in bed. Suck it.”

And with that, Regina stood up, walked around the table and put her fingers on the blonde’s chin, making her look up at her before kissing her sensually, making the blonde moan loudly and return the kiss immediately despite being in front of her parents. The former princess gasped, eyes wide at the sight of her daughter— who she thought couldn’t be a lesbian, who had been in love with men, who had had a son with a man— passionately kissed her step-mother.

“Emma!” the woman screamed, seeing how Emma pulled back quickly, her hand moving back from Regina’s neck and falling to her side, the woman’s lipstick smeared on her lips. The brunette smirked and took the car keys from the kitchen table, then headed to the door of the bungalow and turned to look at the blonde.

“I’ll wait for you in the car, Swan.”

“Emma, are you crazy?!” Mary Margaret yelled, waking the baby in her arms but being too mad to even care. David took Neal and started calming him, walking out of the bungalow. “What on earth are you thinking?!”

But Emma did not hear her, she was in heaven because of that kiss.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I know it's been long. I've been troubled these weeks, and as you know mental illnesses are something hard to fight. Still, I've decided to finish this, because you loved it and I did too. So please, please feel free to leave me your comments, reviews and kudos! Love you all.
> 
> And well, maybe (just maybe!) I will write a sequel to this story. A more nsfw sequel, to be honest. But I'm not sure if you guys would be interested, so if you want me to, please make sure to add that in the comments!

 

 

“Mhm…” Emma moaned under the brunette’s touch, her back against the cold wall of the shower room. The space was completely empty, being time for lunch and having no one that would interrupt them. Regina had pulled her away from the Charmings as they walked to the dining area, not even caring to tell them that they were leaving. As soon as they reached the showers— a convenient _‘out of order’_ sign appearing on the door between purple smoke— the savior found herself being pushed against the tiles, the palm of her girlfriend’s hand against her crotch. “You’ve been waiting to do this all day, haven’t you?”

“You think I’ve been enduring kids screaming around me and that have probably peed in the pool all day just for the sake of going to the waterpark?” the brunette laughed, moving to place her lips on Emma’s neck and starting to kiss and bite on it. She was not careful, and in fact her bites quickly became rough. Emma gladly accepted the assault to her skin, fingers tangling on Regina’s still wet hair and pulling her body against her. “I’m going to fuck you so good, Swan.” Regina husked, running her hand up to the blonde’s stomach, dragging her long, perfect nails on the soft skin before slipping her fingers down inside her panties. “You’re going to be wet all day when thinking about this, you little slut.”

“Oh god.” Emma let out a moan, the other’s fingertips moving in circles and caressing her sensitive bundle of nerves. She had never thought that hearing such words would excite her that much, she had never thought that she would be so submissive under anyone’s hand. Her hips seemed to have life of their own, moving against Regina’s digits, her knuckles white as the palms of her hands pressed against the cold tile walls. “What—”

“Too much, Swan?” the brunette husked, slowing the rhythm of her fingers as she spoke, giving the other a break to catch her breath. Emma was still enchanted by the way words rolled off her tongue, in a dominant way but still wondering if what she was saying and what they were doing was okay. “I can stop… if you want.”

“No, no.” Emma panted, eyes opening wide and staring at the beauty before her. The last thing she wanted in the world was for Regina to stop. She moved her hips forward, looking for contact. She was desperate, in complete need for the woman’s touch, and so she moved her arms to wrap them around the other’s neck, pulling her close and into a deep long kiss. Their tongues danced around each other as the brunette’s fingers sped up again, moans becoming louder and louder. If someone came in, they would be caught. But none of them cared, they really did not. Regina’s fingers moved lower and found the blonde’s entrance, pushing three fingers inside of her easily. “Fuck me good, Regina. Fuck me.”

“Good girl.” she laughed, and Emma could not help but realize how easy it was for her to completely trust the woman. _She is enjoying this… but who am I kidding, I am too. God, what if she’s into bondage? I need to try that. We need to try th— shit._ Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, unexpectedly quick to arrive orgasm. How had she not realized that her body was so ready, she did not know. But as she shuddered and moaned, her mind went blank, and the only thing that mattered was the thumb that circled her sensitive bundle of nerves, flicking it and making her body spasm. “Be mine.”

“I’m yours... I’m all yours…”

“No.” Regina moved her hand to Emma’s cheek, cupping her face as she replaced the hand between her legs with her leg. “Be my girlfriend.” she whispered. “I know this is not the right moment, but be my fucking girlfriend, Swan. Let’s make this official, let’s be each other’s. Be mine, and I will be yours.”

“Fuck, yes. Always.”

“Is this the orgasm talking, Swan?” Regina smirked.

“A bit. But hell yes anyway.”

Both women let out a small laugh and their lips clashed together, Regina’s palm moving back between the blonde’s legs and finding her clit. Faster and faster, she heard the blonde’s moans and pants grow louder— she was still sensitive. It might hurt her, she thought, but the fact that Emma was moaning made her simply _know._ “Fuck!” Emma gasped a minute later, collapsing against the wall, trapped by Regina’s body against her own. “Fuck… Reg— Regina. Fuck.”

“Shh. Breathe.”

“I know, it was just… intense.”

“I know. It was good though.”

“Very good.”

“Wanna repeat?”

“Now?!”

“I’m joking, Emma.”

“Oh, thank god… I mean, I’d love to, but… Already?!”

“Again, I’m joking, Emma. Just joking.”

“Yeah, Regina. But you never do that.”

“Maybe you’re making me change.”

“Is that good?”

“I think so.” Regina laughed. Pulling back slightly, she waited for a second for the other to set her feet on the floor. The blonde smiled, letting out a sigh and biting down on her lip for just a second. “Damn, Regina. I hadn’t thought you’d call me slut while we fuck.”

“Was that too much?”

“No, it was great. I just didn’t expect it. I would have never thought you were so dominant.”

“You still don’t know much about me, Emma… But I guess that now that you are my girlfriend you will.”

“Girlfriend… That sounds very good, mayor Mills.”

“Shut up and kiss me, sheriff Swan.”

“You love when I call you that.”

“I love _you_.”

“What?”

“I love you, Emma Swan. I never thought I’d say this, but I love you.”

“Well, it’s your lucky day, Regina Mills. Because I love you too.”

* * *

 

**THE END**


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